1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an automatic watch winding apparatus, and, more particularly, to a watch winder for selfwinding mechanical wrist watches.
Wrist watches which do not require manual winding are commonly available in two varities, to wit: electric or battery operated, and mechanically self-winding. Battery powered watches operate for the life of the battery. Selfwinding watches operate as long as there is sufficient physical movement, of the proper form, to actuate internal winding mechanisms contained therein. Oftentimes a watch wearer may not wear the watch, for one reason or the other, and the winding mechanism is not actuated, resulting in the running down and stopping of the watch. During such periods of inactivity, a watch winder for such automatic chronometers has been shown to be valuable.
2. History of the Prior Art
Certain prior art approaches to watch winders have included apparatus for simulating the motion of the wearer's wrist. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,007, entitled "Watch Winding Apparatus" and issued to Robert C. Kauffman on Nov. 16, 1971,discloses such a motion simulation device. However, the relationship of the axis of rotation of the stem of the internal winding rotor of the watch to the support shaft of the winding apparatus is generally orthogonal and does not maximize effeciency in turning rotation of the support shaft of the apparatus into rotation of the winding rotor of the watch.
It would be an advantage therefore to avoid the problems of the prior art by providing an apparatus which affords maximum winding effectiveness and does not require reciprocal winding movement. The invention herein sought to be patented rotates the watch in an axis of rotation coincident with the axis of rotation of the stem of the internal winding rotor. Thus, even at very slow speeds which result in minimal wear on the winding mechanism of the watch, the present invention may wind a self-winding mechanical wrist watch so that it is maintained in a fully wound-up and running state.